Panther 2012 Pro Bowl News & Quotes

With three Panther players and a certain WR entourage at the Pro Bowl we have some sightings and some quotes. As usual we start with Super Cam, who isn't letting the honor of attending go to head:

NFL.com news: Pro Bowl showcases NFL's healthy mix of youth and experience

A few hours after he put down his bags, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton ventured into the Ihilani resort's main restaurant and took his seat at a table for one, quickly crushing the nearby buffet without any company.

When a kid needs to eat a kid doesn't wait for an entourage...Smitty on the other hand brought his entourage with him, with one to serve as tour guide:

NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive Panthers WR Smith flies teammates to Hawaii "

"Us guys, we get to experience his culture," Smith said. "We’re mainlanders, as he calls us, so we get to show him around the mainland. Now it’s his turn to show us around his island. "We knew he was already going to be here. Today or tomorrow, we’re going to go to the North Shore and just experience — not the touristy spots — but this beautiful place and see the parts that if you didn’t know, you wouldn’t find them."

I'm sure Pilares will give them the 'locals' tour of the island... really wish I was there!

Here's goes Cam playing WR again, shagging passes this time from Aaron Roders:

NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive Scam Newton? NFC might or might not have a secret weapon "

"Did you see that?" Packers WR Greg Jennings said afterward. "He looks really fluid and natural. It’s kind of scary." But Jennings doesn’t intend to lose "valuable" practice time to Newton. "As a receiver, we’re the prima donnas," Jennings said. "Cam, you can’t take reps from us. But there might be something that we can throw out there."

Is he suggesting a WC formation in the Pro Bowl with Newton actually getting a pass thrown his way? We can only hope...

If it was up to Smitty and many other players in Hawaii this week, the Pro Bowl would not be moved to another site, ever:

NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive Players unanimous: Keep Pro Bowl in Hawaii "

Panthers WR Steve Smith suggested he wouldn’t even be here if the game wasn’t held in Hawaii, and Allen couldn’t agree more. "That’s a lot of players’ attitude, I think. If it’s in an NFL city, you’re in those cities quite often," Allen said. "I found in Miami, you’re at the hotel signing autographs 99 percent of the time. It was just kind of chaotic, guys weren’t showing up, you had a lot of alternates in and out. Over here, it’s kind of what everybody looks forward to. Even if you had a crappy season, ‘I made it to Hawaii.’ I like it. It’s been a tradition. They started it here, they should keep it here."

I could not agree more.

I couldn't believe this when I first read it:

NFL.com news: NFL: Players can tweet during Pro Bowl game, not with phones

The NFL is relaxing its social-media policy and allowing players to use Twitter before and during the Pro Bowl. The league said Wednesday it will set up a computer on each sideline, where players are encouraged to use Twitter to communicate with fans, teammates and even opponents during commercial breaks and when their offensive or defensive unit isn't on the field. Tweeting is voluntary, and only one player per team can tweet at a time. Players will tweet with the hashtag #ProBowl.

The NFL is encouraging players to use Twitter...during the game? Color me shocked. Will there be no screening process before the Tweets go out? If only Smitty were on Twitter we might get some entertainment.

We've got a Top Cat in Hawaii too:

Pro Bowl cheerleaders | NFL.com

The players aren't the only ones rewarded for a season of success. Some of the finest of the NFL's sizzling sideline sensations also are awarded with a trip to the Pro Bowl.

via static.nfl.com

I'm pretty sure she was selected for her gritty performance against the Jaguars in week 3 of this past season. Isn't this her on the left in what I now look back on as one of the bests on CSR in 2011?

via cdn2.sbnation.com

I'm suddenly hoping for a monsoon to blow in on Sunday. Then I might watch the whole game! Actually knowing Newton will probably play late in the game might keep me watching it through the end, especially if he might go deep!